


Street Rat

by the_problem_child



Category: Original Work
Genre: Gen, Nonbinary Character, Nonbinary Protagonist, Original Character(s), Original Fiction, Originally Posted on Tumblr, enby protag
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-10-09
Updated: 2020-10-09
Packaged: 2021-03-07 23:20:32
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings, No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,194
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/26905774
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/the_problem_child/pseuds/the_problem_child
Summary: I wrote this for school, and I felt semi proud of it. I have plans to add on to it. I wanna turn this into a multi-chapter book, but I just haven’t gotten around to it
Kudos: 1





	Street Rat

  


“What? What do you want from me?” a sob echoed throughout the empty room, “ I know I’ll never live up to your standards. I know I’m not what you wanted. I know that I’m not perfect, but at least I never gave up on someone before even getting to know them first. I have never once turned my back on someone when they needed me the most,” The silence left behind was deafening, only breaking for the occasional sniffle.  
The marble tiles seemed to cry when the jade accents decorating the walls shook with terror. The clicking of heels on the floor reverberated violently. The grandfather clock could be heard chiming thrice, before a sharp pain was delivered to their face. Wincing from the bruise already forming, they never lowered their head; they vowed to get this far, and they weren't going to stop now. They were going to do whatever it would take.  
  
_____________  
  
It started off as any other day had, Harris stayed in the background, a no one, avoiding The Keepers. With a head hung low and a hat shielding the face, Harris crept through the crowds and into the back alleys. Passing familiar faces, Harris kept a quick pace, briefly stopping to grab a satchel with a few copper coins before resuming the short journey.  
  
The scent of fresh pastries and the soft chatter became more prominent with each step, alerting Harris of the bakery’s close proximity. The back door swung open, revealing a disheveled man, in his early fifties, shouting commands at a new employee. Stumbling down the stairs, Harris caught the man’s attention, “Ah, Harris, good to see you! How have you been? It’s been a while, please tell me you stayed out of trouble.”  
  
Grabbing the empty boxes from his hands, Harris’s head shook. “No, no, I haven’t. And it’s only been,” Harris paused after putting the boxes against the opposing building for pickup later, counting the days, “Oh, it has been a few days. But I’m here now. And I kinda want to talk to you and Mrs. Dorado about something. It’s really important to me.” Harris looked at the baker, eyes full of hope, for a change.  
  
The baker smiled, “Of course, come in.” He shuffled inside, looking for his wife.  
  
Harris entered the kitchen to see a worried girl, trying to figure out her mistake, “Don’t worry, Mr. Dorado is just stressed. This place is running a little low on money and staff at the moment. He means well. But, uh, a little word of advice, just be yourself. You were hired for a reason, and Mr. and Mrs. Dorado haven’t fired you, so you’re in the clear.” Harris offered a warm smile.  
  
“Thank you,” she returned the gesture, “I don’t think we’ve met. I’m 18 Adelé Odelo.”  
  
“16 Harris, unofficially, Dorado,” Just then, a couple entered the kitchen from the office. Adelé’s brows were furrowed, glancing between the bakers and Harris. “Okay, I know it’s been a few days, but it was important. I found a little bit of info on them. They live in Mid-Upper. Probably Ferring, but that parts a guess, based on the library. There’s three in town, and The ones in Lower and Mid didn’t have them in the books. There was no trace of them. And Ferring is a short walk from TKL,” Harris finished, proudly.  
  
“Well, that is good news. But, what if this isn’t the right family? What if you get hurt?” Mrs. Dorado questioned with worry.  
  
“Well, Odelo isn’t a common name, and as for getting hurt, that happened almost 17 years ago,” Harris reasoned.  
  
Mr. and Mrs. Dorado exchanged glances, confirming whether or not this was the best idea. “I know that this really isn’t my place, but, um, you’re looking for Mr. and Mrs. Odelo, yes? If you are who I think you are, I might be able to help out,” Adelé offered, surveying the room to make sure she didn’t overstep her boundaries.  
  
The four were silent, waiting for someone to make the first move, finally, Harris stepped up, “You’re parents. You mean, you can take me to them?” Harris asked, face beaming with optimism.  
  
_____________  
  
Fist inches from the door, Harris let out a shaky breath, “I’ve waited for this day for years, but now, after anticipating what’s to come for so long, I’m scared. What if this is the wrong one? What if it’s better to just leave and-” A sharp knock on the door cut Harris off.  
  
“What? You clearly weren’t going to do it. You said it yourself, you’ve been dreaming of this day for years. I’m not letting your years of searching for answers to the questions that keep you up at night go down the drain.” Harris shot Adelé a look of annoyment. “Hey, if it turns out that they did throw you out, it’s my job as your older sister to annoy you,” she defended.  
  
They waited a moment before knocking again. Soon, the clicking of heels could be heard through the door. A woman appeared in the doorway, clad in a mauve, conservative sundress. “Adelé, it’s so good to see you,” She spoke with a forced smile, “I see you’ve brought a friend.”  
  
Adelé pushed past her and through the entry hall, she beckoned for Harris to follow suit. “Drop the niceties, where’s Dad? Adelé crossed her arms, already done with her mother.  
“He’s in his studies. What do you need from him?” Mrs. Odelo approached Harris, still on the porch, seconds away from interrogation.  
  
“Oh, we are going to have a nice, lovely, long talk. And don't worry, I’ll be sure to bring up your past.” Adelé seethed with a smirk of confidence, knowing that she had her mother at her will. Harris squeezed through the gap between Mrs. Odelo and the doorframe, joining Adelé, but much more timid.  
  
They were all in Mr. Odelo’s study, when he spoke up, “So are you going to introduce us to your friend, or are we just going to stare at each other, making her uncomfortable?”  
Adelé rolled her eyes, “This is Harris, Harris, this is, why do I bother, you already know them.” She leaned back against the wall, arms crossed. If you looked closely, you could see worry written on her face. “Don’t act like you don’t remember Harris. It’s not like you threw Harris out because you didn’t didn’t get a son. Yes, this is your child. The one that you didn’t even give a chance before disowning.”  
  
“Why didn’t you give me a chance? You would’ve figured out that I’m not even a girl. I mean, yeah you didn’t get a son out of me, but you got a child.” The room grew silent, the couple confused. “I’m enby.” They looked at them, as if they’d seen a ghost. “You left me on the streets to be taken care of by total strangers. You made me a street rat. You never cared to go looking for me, but now, you treat me something. To you I’m not quite human, but I’m more than nothing. So what? What do you want from me?

**Author's Note:**

> Hey guys, sorry it kinda ends abruptly. I'm in the process of writing more, but this was at the maximum page limit for an English assignment, so I had to cut it off. (8 October 2020)


End file.
